Ok,I'll clear this up once and for all.Here goes;
The first set of panniers I made in this shape, were made about eight years ago.
I have yet to see a set of these al jesse panniers in the flesh.
I had never heard of al jesse eight years ago.
The design for the lids on my panniers came frome a funnel I designed about ten years ago, for refueling cosworth sierra's that wern't allowed pressurised refuelling systems in the pits, all I done to make a lid, was extend the length of the funnel, and not put a hole in it.
The shape for the main box, is also motor sport related. The bag tanks on rally cars have to be shrouded in aluminiun, to hold them in place. The covers on some cars had removable lids, Hey presto, there's your box, with my hand made hinges.
I have copied nothing, and based my design on proven motorsport engineering, which the UK lead the world, (look inside F1 is you need any proof, Most cars are UK built)
As I have said many times before,I AM NOT A BUSINESS,all I'm doing is trying to help people out by using my skills, to make things they can't, the same way people help me out with stupid computers.
I never intended to sell any panniers, they just appeared on the web site one day, and members took it from there.
If anyone thinks I'm making a killing, making panniers for £450 a time, they must have fallen out of the stupid tree, and banged their head on every branch on the way down. I will be out of pocket on this one, big time.
If someone likes something I make, I quite often make them something for nothing (ask Squidbrain, I GAVE him a light bar last night, the same as I made for myself, and he liked the look of. If you wanted to buy one off me, let's start talking close to £200, he didn't know he was going to get it, and I never took a penny for it, despite being offered. And there are lots more people like him about, I just don't go around banging a drum about it.
Have a nice day, and if anyone in the world has a problem with me knocking out panniers for a few mates, they really should seek some help and get something to really worry about, like bombing Iraq for starters?